Zhang Chunming's housewarming ceremony filled four tables in the courtyard. It lasted from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m., and Zhang Guoqing was busy all morning. He hurriedly paid his respects to the elders and hurried home.
Fortunately, the two families lived not far from each other. Zhang Guoqing watched Zhou Jiao finish her meal, clean up, and then hurried to Zhang Meili's house. He had originally thought that with two brothers to hold him back, it wouldn't matter. But Zhang Guoqing forgot that he was no longer the same person he used to be in the eyes of others. Ever since the second son of the Zhang family started working this week, many people had noticed something.
The number of guests gradually decreased. Some of Zhang Meili and her husband's colleagues had to work the night shift, so they said goodbye and left after three rounds of drinks.
The remaining villagers began to gather around Zhang Dad and ask where Zhang Guoqing's home was and whether it was far away.
Zhang Dad didn't know whether he should bring so many people home. He was about to ask his wife for help when he saw Zhang Guoqing standing not far away, winking at him.
Father Zhang immediately understood and said with a smile: "Why are you asking so many questions? The show is over, let's go to my Xiaowu's place. It's a good opportunity to get familiar with the way." After saying that, he stood up and took several brothers and two relatives from the village and walked straight to the courtyard.
Zhang Guoqing quickly found Ziwen and Xizi and asked them to go tell Zhou Jiao to treat the villagers well. He also asked Zhang's mother to go to the courtyard first and prepare some wine and food to entertain the villagers.
After arranging for the family to head to the courtyard, Zhang Guoqing cheerfully said goodbye to Zhang Meili as they left, telling her to focus on her own affairs while he took care of the outside work. His second sister had already made arrangements with the head chef yesterday, so he was off to finish the meal.
Zhang Meili watched Xiaowu leave and felt a sudden sense of relief. She had never expected so many people to show up today. Fortunately, her Xiaowu had been well prepared, otherwise she would have become a laughing stock in the county.
Zhang Meili also treated her sisters-in-law, who hadn't helped out much, finishing the banquet and then cracking melon seeds, with a warm smile. She told herself: Her brothers-in-law had prepared so much for her because they wanted her to be prosperous today and have a happy life in the future. How could she let them down?
Zhang Meili listened to their sour words while dealing with them. After a while, she found that several uncles had also run to Xiaowu's place. She smiled secretly, "Go ahead, after watching this, I guess you won't be able to sleep."
She touched the two quilts with big red flowers and knew that Xiaowu must have told Zhou Jiao when he came home last time. These were all prepared by her younger sister Zhou Jiao.
From the 100 kilograms of coal briquettes and firewood each from the two sisters yesterday to the banquet prepared for her, not to mention the meat and dishes, even the wine was quite a bit. Add to that the gifts sent today, and the money spent was no small amount.
This was because Zhou Jiao was easygoing. If it were the eldest and second eldest children's families, they would have skinned Xiaowu alive. She said she had borrowed 300 yuan from Xiaowu, but how much more did she owe? From the children's pocket money to now, she didn't dare to think about it.
When Zhang Guoqing arrived at his second sister Zhang Meihao's yard, he found that the chef had already cleaned up. The Chen family's main door was locked, and it seemed that no one was inside.
He took out a red envelope he had prepared and stuffed it into the master's pocket. After thanking him profusely, he personally escorted them out the door. After watching them leave, Zhang Guoqing locked the courtyard door and hurried back home.
As soon as he arrived at his own yard, he was filled with laughter and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't rush in, but went to the kitchen to check. Sure enough, his mother, two sisters-in-law, and his second sister and her mother-in-law were preparing.
Seeing him standing at the doorway with a beaming smile on his face, Zhang's mother complained, "What are you busying yourself with, kid? Drink some water. Don't worry, our Jiaojiao is helping you entertain the guests. Go in and let her rest for a while. She's been busy serving tea and water. She even made us come out to prepare wine and food, saying we should go back to the village together after dinner. I don't know what to say to this kid. She even made me cook everything and take the leftovers home. You two are a couple of wasted money!"
Zhang Meihao's mother-in-law laughed when she heard this. "Your daughter-in-law Jiaojiao has the same personality as Meihao—very hospitable! This is a good thing. Your daughter-in-law is very filial. It makes you two look good. Don't say anything bad about the children and make them feel sad."
Zhang Guoqing laughed when he heard this and said, "I'm not sad. My mother is happy. My two sisters-in-law are the ones who are really sad. They keep my mother busy all the time, but my mother never praises them. Sisters-in-law, you are wronged. I asked Jiaojiao to get you some water. If you have any problems, just go to her and send her anywhere."
Huang Cuilan smiled and shook her head repeatedly, "Don't talk about that. We didn't do anything today, we just watched. You've been busy all day, have you finished cleaning up your eldest sister's place?"
"Everything is cleaned up. The chef washed and took home the dishes left by my eldest sister. I just saw them off in my second sister's yard. The chef was very nice and even kept my second sister's yard clean. Aunt, I don't think there's any problem. Just lock the door to the yard. You can have fun here in peace."
After seeing him finish drinking the water, Zhang's mother urged him to go in and replace Zhou Jiao.
In the guest room, Father Zhang and several other elderly people sat on the kang, with his two in-laws sitting on two chairs in front of the kang. An elderly villager touched the quilt on the kang and jokingly said, "Are you used to this new quilt? I think you need a stone slab to sleep on at night."
Father Zhang took out his pipe and placed it on the kang table. "I've never slept here before. The kids said they'd leave it for us old couple, but I still prefer going back to the village. I'm not used to it."
Accountant Zhang laughed heartily. "You silly old man, you don't know how to enjoy yourself when you're supposed to. Your Xiaowu and his wife are so filial that they let you smoke and mess around in such a nice house. You old fellow really don't know how to enjoy yourself. Why don't you live here? I think your youngest son is determined to let you live here. We're all so old now and know how to judge people. Only your daughter-in-law is really sincere in letting you two live here."
An old man sighed after hearing this, "Second brother is so lucky. Before he got married, he had a capable father. When he got married, he had three good sons. When he got old, he had three daughters-in-law. He has everything he needs."
Outside, we heard the cheers and shouts of several old ladies and children.
Accountant Zhang pointed outside. "Listen, this is a blessing. You have a daughter-in-law who is just like that, no doubt about it. She's very generous. Listen to her laughter, it's genuine. As soon as we came in, she started preparing things, serving tea and water, and letting the children in freely. She has a good temper. In-laws, if the children let you two stay here for a while, then you can come. If the children are not distracted by you, then you should keep an eye on them. They are all good children."
Zhang Dad was delighted as he listened to their praises. He knew that the young couple were filial, but he couldn't say it, and there was no need to show off.
He wasn't bragging. If he asked Jiaojiao to give him five or a thousand dollars, she would give it to him without hesitation. If he said he wanted to eat something, he would eat the same thing for a month straight. And the child would be worried about him and want to take him to the hospital. Even his daughter might not do that, but she would. That was his confidence.
Jiaojiao is different from the two daughters-in-law mentioned above. She has never had her parents around her since she was a child, and she really regards the couple as her own parents.
The child was quite clever. She had been winking at him, signaling him to let anyone into the study. She had even gone to open the door wide, immediately bringing out the candy and treats, saying, "Dad, is there anything else you need? I'll get it."
No wonder Brother Zhou treated her like his lifeblood. His Xiaowu was filial, but Jiaojiao was even more filial. A good daughter-in-law brings blessings to three generations, and Xiaowu's lineage will be prosperous for at least three generations.
Less than half an hour later, Zhang Guoqing said a few words to the brothers outside and came into the house.
As soon as he came in, he smiled and called out "Uncle" and "Grandpa" one by one, and chatted with the elderly people respectfully.
Although these elderly people can hardly recognize large characters, Zhang Guoqing understands that many of their words are experiences learned from life, which are more practical than what is written in books.
Therefore, no matter how old or long-winded the elders were, he would listen carefully. When he was old and his grandchildren behaved politely in front of him, he would also guide them with some insights from his own life.
There were a few elderly people and a few middle-aged people in the room, and they praised Zhang Guoqing.
Zhang Guoqing also praised their children. Honestly, he said the other party was steady and knew what was going on, but he just didn't bother to pay attention.
If someone is lazy, he will say that the other person is smart and likes to use his brain. It's like you can't ask a scholar to use martial arts. In fact, it's just that he hasn't found the way. Once the other person figures it out, he's no worse than someone who uses physical strength.
If someone is domineering and likes to cause trouble, he would say that the other person is straightforward, has no crooked heart, will not stab others in the back, and will say things to your face if there is anything to say. This is the character of a real man.
In short, what he said really made sense, and the old men laughed happily, saying that what Zhang Guoqing said was very reasonable. After all, who would think that their children and grandchildren were not good?
Zhang Guoqing heard the noise outside and knew that the table must have been set. He stood up and said, "Come on, since you elders are here today, you have to have a drink with my dad. We happen to have some seafood at home today, let's all try it. Dad, you and your uncles can take your time. I'll go get some wine first. Don't worry if you get drunk. You can stay here tonight and there's plenty of places to sleep."
Old Chen and Accountant Zhang looked at each other and smiled. The child was becoming more and more talkative.
When Zhang Guoqing came out, he saw two tables already set up in the living room. A group of children had crawled downstairs, making a lot of noise, but when they saw him come out, they all stopped and fell silent.
"Oh, brothers, you guys are really great. You got everything ready so quickly. Wait for me, I'll go find some good wine for you to taste." Zhou Guoqing pretended not to notice anything unusual and said happily.
Several older men in the village laughed heartily, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. Some punched Zhang Guoqiang and said, laughing, "No wonder the whole county says Zhang Guoqing is famous for his righteousness. Did you do that on purpose?"
"You are just being nervous. Our Xiaowu is very easy to talk to. If you don't believe me, ask my eldest brother." Zhang Guoqiang retorted with a smile.
Zhang's mother and her two daughters-in-law served the food. Then Zhang Guoqing came out with the wine jar and invited everyone to the table.
The meal lasted until almost three o'clock. The children followed Xizi to Zhang Ziwen's house, and when they were tired, they came back to eat again. By the end, the dishes were clean as if they had just been washed.
Zhang's father drove the oxcart, with the old man and young children sitting on it, and the other men followed slowly behind the oxcart. After they left, Zhang's mother and others cleaned up the courtyard and closed the gate.
Zhang Guoqing found two horse-drawn carriages and waited at the door. Zhang's mother took her two daughters-in-law and the other carriage with the three of them as a family and returned to the village.
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